Traveling the American Deserts

Far from being the desolate wastelands many imagine as they speed through them on the Interstate going to somewhere else, America’s deserts are thriving ecological communities.

Article Courtesy Camping Life Magazine , Written by Stuart Bourdon.

Tumble weeds and blowing sand. That’s the image most often used to portray the American deserts, but the truth is these arid ecosystems offer a diverse plant and animal life, intriguing geological formations, starkly dramatic scenery, and fascinating history lessons. Best of all, the winter and spring are perfect seasons to visit.

Four distinct desert biomes, each with its own unique ecosystem, exist either entirely or partially in the United States: the Great Basin, Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan. Because of its elevation (largely above 4000 feet) and northerly latitudes, much of the Great Basin region can be darn cold in the winter months, so for this story, we’ll stick primarily to the generally lower, more southerly and warmer climes of the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts.

START BIG

Three of the prominent desert ecosystems—Great Basin, Mojave and Sonoran—converge near Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Covering 2000 square miles, Lake Mead NRA offers year-round camping, but watersports is what the place is all about. Bring your boat. If you don’t have one, rent one, you’ll want one here. Eight campgrounds exist in Lake Mead NRA. Most convenient: Boulder Beach, it’s close to town (Boulder City, Nevada) for groceries, near Hoover Dam, yet on the water and far enough away to be quiet. Really want to get out there? Go to Temple Bar, it’s where Mead begins to meet the Grand Canyon. Our favorites: Valley of Fire State Park an hour north of Vegas with quiet red rock scenery and the lake 25 miles away, or Echo Bay right on the lake with full amenities and a marina.

GO LOW

Mojave Desert

One of our all-time favorite Mojave Desert hangouts is Death Valley National Park, because aside from taking in the remarkable scenery, you can say you have been to the lowest point—282 feet below sea level at Badwater—in the Western Hemisphere. Before the National Park Service, Death Valley was, well, deadly, with almost no water and temperatures that exceed 130 degrees F during the summer. This Mojave biome locale is less forbidding today, and can be quite nice in the cooler months.

Stay at Stove Pipe Wells, it has everything, when you want to be pampered. Check out the colorful and bizarre geology of the valley at Artists Palette and Devil’s Golf Course, see Ubehebe Crater, and visit the numerous mines and borax works. If your rig is under 25-feet long, explore Emigrant Canyon Road; then camp at Wildrose if you want to get away and weather permits. If you have a good four-wheel-drive vehicle, a full tank of gas and gallons of extra water, visit the Racetrack, a normally dry lakebed where when the conditions are just right, rocks ...

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